1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a position detecting device and a seat position detecting device of a vehicle which detect the position of a movable member provided in displaceable manner on a base member, by a proximity sensor, and relates to a position detecting device and a seat position detecting device of a vehicle, including a magnetic field generating portion, such as a permanent magnet, in the proximity sensor.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-241968, filed Sep. 6, 2006, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
As a position detecting device which detects the sliding position of a seat for a vehicle by a magnetic field detection type proximity sensor is known (for example, refer to PCT Japanese Translation Patent Publication No. 9-511357 and Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2003-337004).
In this position detecting device, for example, an object to be detected, which is made of a magnetic member, is provided at a side portion of a front end of a lower rail which is fixedly installed on the floor of a vehicle body, and a proximity sensor including a magnetic field generating portion (permanent magnet) and a detecting portion (Hall IC) is provided at an upper rail, which is integral with the seat for a vehicle.
In this position detecting device, when the proximity sensor moves according to sliding movement of the seat for a vehicle, the magnetic field of the magnetic field generating portion detected in the detecting portion changes according to the positional relationship between the proximity sensor and the object to be detected, and the sliding position of the seat is detected on the basis of the change of the magnetic field.